I completed Shadow of the Collossus today and wrote something about it for my blog. Just thought I'd post a bit of what I did. (modified it a bit to fit here 
). Will post a review for the two games when I find the time to write them.
As for SotC and ICO, well, here's how my story goes. I've been a fan of fantasy fiction since I was a little kid, be it reading Enid Blyton's Bedtime stories to the Chronicles of Narnia, and growing up gradually to Ursula Le Guin, Tolkien and the like.. Be it books, movies or video games, I love the world of magic, darkness, . A world with mythical beings would always facinate me.
When I started with my PS2, I had never heard of ICO. It lay in the hushed whispers of its cult followers. A game with high ratings, but which was dormant due to its non-commercial value, its stereotype-breakaway model.. And then came SotC, a new award winning game and with it came a re-release of ICO. A new lease on life for a masterpiece. Also, since I love the action-adventure genre, I had to get my hands on the two. I had to experience this new fantasy.
Now, I live in India, the land of modded PS2's and pirated games.. I luckily (or unluckily) got my ps2 (un-modded) as a gift from my sister in Germany.. As a realisation from my past gaming experiences, one tends to take for granted something cheap or free (still true for some of my PC gaming), so I decided to "BUY" my games, which would make me appreciate them more. Unfortunately in India, most titles available in stores are of more popular genres, old crappy games and almost double the prices as sold abroad. So I get my games sourced from friends/relatives in London, Australia or Germany. (I lose out a bit on the conversion rates, but I still save a lot of money). ICO being the cheaper of the two, I bought it first. And was I glad I did. I've never enjoyed a game more. It was different, yet familiar. It had emotion !! It immersed me in an unknown world, yet one I was not scared to be in. One which made me think, made me care. I was responsible for someone else, helpless, yet someone I had to count on, to escape to a better destiny. Then came my exploits as Wander.
SotC is no less as a game. Though I will admit, I was less addicted to it as ICO. But, it again reigns with its simplicity. You have to get through with a few simple steps, find the big guy, find a way to overcome him and do it. BUT, beyond that veil lies something which astonishes you. The satisfaction bringing down these big guys, that too 16 of them, is just immense. The universe you are thrust into seems vast, getting to point B a puzzle in itself. I couldn't help but make up theories as I went along, and having played ICO the end just doesnt seem like one anymore. It just gives me more questions to find answers to. It leaves you fulfilled but yet keeps you wanting to know more. There lies the beauty of these games. Ueda (the game director) is a genius and with these games a legend in my mind. I look forward to the final solution to the puzzle.
If you guys have not played these two games, please find them and do it asap. Try not to use walkthroughs. There's really no fun in that. More Later.
Cheers.
). Will post a review for the two games when I find the time to write them.As for SotC and ICO, well, here's how my story goes. I've been a fan of fantasy fiction since I was a little kid, be it reading Enid Blyton's Bedtime stories to the Chronicles of Narnia, and growing up gradually to Ursula Le Guin, Tolkien and the like.. Be it books, movies or video games, I love the world of magic, darkness, . A world with mythical beings would always facinate me.
When I started with my PS2, I had never heard of ICO. It lay in the hushed whispers of its cult followers. A game with high ratings, but which was dormant due to its non-commercial value, its stereotype-breakaway model.. And then came SotC, a new award winning game and with it came a re-release of ICO. A new lease on life for a masterpiece. Also, since I love the action-adventure genre, I had to get my hands on the two. I had to experience this new fantasy.
Now, I live in India, the land of modded PS2's and pirated games.. I luckily (or unluckily) got my ps2 (un-modded) as a gift from my sister in Germany.. As a realisation from my past gaming experiences, one tends to take for granted something cheap or free (still true for some of my PC gaming), so I decided to "BUY" my games, which would make me appreciate them more. Unfortunately in India, most titles available in stores are of more popular genres, old crappy games and almost double the prices as sold abroad. So I get my games sourced from friends/relatives in London, Australia or Germany. (I lose out a bit on the conversion rates, but I still save a lot of money). ICO being the cheaper of the two, I bought it first. And was I glad I did. I've never enjoyed a game more. It was different, yet familiar. It had emotion !! It immersed me in an unknown world, yet one I was not scared to be in. One which made me think, made me care. I was responsible for someone else, helpless, yet someone I had to count on, to escape to a better destiny. Then came my exploits as Wander.
SotC is no less as a game. Though I will admit, I was less addicted to it as ICO. But, it again reigns with its simplicity. You have to get through with a few simple steps, find the big guy, find a way to overcome him and do it. BUT, beyond that veil lies something which astonishes you. The satisfaction bringing down these big guys, that too 16 of them, is just immense. The universe you are thrust into seems vast, getting to point B a puzzle in itself. I couldn't help but make up theories as I went along, and having played ICO the end just doesnt seem like one anymore. It just gives me more questions to find answers to. It leaves you fulfilled but yet keeps you wanting to know more. There lies the beauty of these games. Ueda (the game director) is a genius and with these games a legend in my mind. I look forward to the final solution to the puzzle.
If you guys have not played these two games, please find them and do it asap. Try not to use walkthroughs. There's really no fun in that. More Later.
Cheers.
